Golden Gate University's Blog

Driven to Succeed: Armenian Student Continues Marketing Career in San Francisco

Tsovinar Yenokyan is a student in Golden Gate University’s Master of Science in Marketing Program (’18).

Tsovinar Yenokyan has been driven to succeed from an early age. She started to work at age 16, which was not common in her native country of Armenia, and began what she calls her, “long-lasting relationship with marketing.” Two years later, she took a Brand Manager position at Starcom Mediavest in Armenia. At 21, Tsovinar launched a marketing agency based on forward-thinking “lifestyle” targeting. While earning an MBA at American University of Armenia, she met a classmate and together they opened a bakery and café called “Cupcake Place.”

Tsovinar decided to come to GGU in San Francisco to get a master’s degree in marketing. “I came to San Francisco to get new perspectives, gain more knowledge, and realize my ambitions. San Francisco is a great generator of tech innovation that impacts the entire world. San Francisco, particularly downtown, is a great place to make professional connections and build a career.”

Tsovinar outside GGU in downtown San Francisco.

A Real-World Education at Golden Gate University

“I love my school,” Tsovinar says. “GGU has great professors. Most importantly, they are professionals who bring real-life experiences to the class.” For example, her Data Analytics course was taught by Dr. Nabanita Talukdar who has conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses for L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, and other major companies.

In the Data Analytics class, Tsovinar created a quantitative report focusing on Airbnb units using statistical indicators such as which San Francisco neighborhoods have the highest demand, consumer satisfaction numbers, and rental prices. Through using a programming language called R, Tsovinar and her peer team created a prediction model for hosts to estimate the fair price of their rental properties.

GGU has great professors. Most importantly, they are professionals who bring real-life experiences to the class.

Inspiration in Armenia

Tsovinar credits the launch of her career at 16 to her mother, who was working on becoming a laser physicist until the Soviet Union collapsed. Her mother began a second career as a market developer for Coca-Cola and advanced to become the company’s CEO for Armenia. She then took the job of CEO of Armenia Wine. “Armenia is famous for world-class wineries and Armenians are probably the most hospitable people in the world; we like to make each person that visits our country or our home feel special. You can ask my boyfriend about Armenian hospitality; he gained eight pounds from my mother’s cooking.”

On Being an International Student

“GGU is a perfect place for international students. Each student has an advisor and mine has been helpful in answering questions about student Visas and my curriculum. San Francisco is a city with its own heart and soul. I love this city. I have never seen such a contrast of people with so many different interests and backgrounds in one place. It’s a warm and welcoming place.”